The Family Man: A Brother's Love
by Chakat StarDust
Summary: Sequel to The Family Man. Hao, changed by his experience in a timeline where he grew up with Yoh, seeks to try and build a loving relationship with his brother. Unfortunately, his presence in Yoh's life may become a source of danger for the younger twin.
1. Chapter 1

Star: New story, hope you all enjoy. I own nothing but the plot and any Ocs that show up, so on with the story.

Yoh tiptoed back into the inn. His friends were all passed out in the living room still. Sometimes he thought they partied too hard, but it was fun to watch them all get silly. Anna was probably sleeping upstairs. He wondered if anyone had noticed he was gone.

He yawned and decided to find his own bed. Sleep would help with the confusion he was currently feeling. In his opinion, a good rest could solve just about anything. This problem, if it could be called that, was something of a doozy though.

"Are you sure it was wise…?" His guardian spirit, Amidamaru trailed off as he looked at Yoh in concern.

"If he'd wanted to hurt me he would have already." Yoh reasoned, yawning widely.

"You do not know that, it was some time before he even tried attacking you directly." Amidamaru reminded him.

"There's something different about him now." Yoh replied. "I want to try and figure it out."

"That could be exactly what he wants." Amidamaru replied.

"Amidamaru, do you trust me?" Yoh asked. Amidamaru looked torn.

"Yes, I trust you." The samurai finally said. "It is him that I do not trust."

"And you will always be with me if I am around him." Yoh said. "If we can find a peaceful solution with Hao, that would be best. Because the alternative is killing him and allowing him to come back next time even stronger."

"That is true." Amidamaru agreed reluctantly. "Why must it be you, though?"

"Because I'm the only one who views him as anything other than evil." Yoh replied. "And for that matter, it's always me, isn't it?"

"That is true as well." Amidamaru said sadly. He knew the burden that was laid on Yoh's shoulders; a burden he had never asked for, never wanted, and was only there because he was Hao's so-called other half. There wasn't any point in railing against how unfair it was though; the whole world was unfair, why should he be exempt from that?

"No point in worrying about it now." Yoh reasoned. "I don't even know when I'll be seeing him next."

"How do you know you will see him?" Amidamaru asked.

"Something in the way he acted. I'm pretty sure he was disappointed when I told him I had to go." Yoh replied. "There's something off about him, I'm telling you, Amidamaru, something's changed."

"You don't know if that change is good or bad." Amidamaru cautioned.

"No, but he talked about the city as though it was something beautiful, and Hao… doesn't think like that." Yoh said. "Anything to do with humans is abhorrent to him. I need to get to the bottom of whatever's going on Amidamaru, I just do."

"I understand." The samurai said softly. "I just don't want you to get hurt again." Yoh shivered at the memory, but forced a smile on his face.

"It'll work out okay." He said. Amidamaru nodded, but he still looked doubtful.

Yoh got ready for bed and turned off his light. He lay with his eyes open, looking up at the dark ceiling. There really was something very off about Hao. There'd always been this undertone to his voice, like he was just humouring the person speaking to him, but that hadn't been there when they had spoken tonight.

Every attempt to find out where Hao had been had been deflected, very gently he added to himself. At times it had almost seemed like Hao wanted to tell him something, but was holding himself back. There seemed to be an air of sadness around him that Yoh hadn't noticed before, and he'd caught Hao looking at him every so often with the strangest expression on his face.

Yoh didn't know what it all meant, but obviously something big had happened to Hao, something that had changed him. He understood Amidamaru's caution, but he didn't think that Hao was trying to set him up for something. It just didn't feel right.

_Oh, just, enjoying the view._ Yoh frowned, remembering Hao's words. They were said without any hint of sarcasm, any hint of loathing, just a calm contentedness. The fact that Hao of all people would say that while looking out over Tokyo… no, there was something else going on and Yoh wanted to know what it was.

_I am alone._ The words had been soft, sad even, which was strange, because Hao was usually so in control of his emotions, barring their last fight when he had gone insane. So, it felt a little like Hao was baring himself to him, and for some reason that made Yoh feel like he needed to help Hao, for whatever reason.

No point in wasting time thinking about it now though, he chastised himself. He rolled over onto his stomach and pulled the covers over his head. He hoped fervently his nightmares wouldn't keep him up tonight.

%&%&%&%

Hao found the eccentric little shop with some difficulty. "You'd think it would be easier to find, seeing as I want to find her." He grumbled, stepping into the store. The wind-chimes above the door announced his arrival. Kia, the wolf-girl, smiled at him.

"The shop's magic also responds to my own emotions, and suffice to say I'm still a little bit peeved at you." Kia said.

"Didn't think of you as one to hold a grudge." Hao said.

"Well, you didn't know me in my youth." Kia said, her eyes old and sorrowful. "Now, what can I do for you?"

"I'm looking for employment actually." Hao admitted. Kia raised an eyebrow at him. "Not that I need the money, but I do need something to occupy my time." He explained.

"You found something to strive for, did you?" Kia asked, smiling warmly.

"You could say that." Hao said. "It's early days though, I don't want to get cocky. Seems to be my fatal flaw."

"I would agree with that." Kia said primly. Hao scowled at her. "After all the grief you've put me through over the last thousand years, I think I've earned the right to bruise your ego just a little."

"Maybe." Hao grumbled. He heard a hiss behind him and looked around to see a small girl with jet black eyes and wild crimson hair glaring at him. "Still sore about me trying to burn you, huh?" He asked Aly. She folded her arms across her chest and bared her teeth. "I'm sorry, I was angry, but that's no excuse, is it?"

She sniffed disdainfully at him and turned around to go back to stocking the shelves. "She's better at holding a grudge than I am." Kia commented. "There's a reason I serve the Mother, after all."

"So what do you say, do you have work for me?" Hao asked.

"I suppose I could find something for you to do." Kia replied lazily. "Won't be every day though, you'll need to get a hobby, something other than trying to take over the world." Hao glared at her. "You can start tomorrow, 8:30, shop opens at nine."

"I'll see you then." Hao replied. Kia nodded her head and went back to whatever she was doing at her desk. Hao walked out of the shop and wandered down the street. He found his way back to the art supply store and bought a few small canvases and some oil paints. He also found himself in a gardening store, buying pots and soil and seeds.

He felt a little silly, buying so many mundane things. It felt a little too domestic, but then, wasn't that the point? Wasn't he trying to learn to move on and live a life for himself and not some screwed up dream? Anyways, he had always liked plants, and he didn't have any of his own, and his flat had a nice little balcony that could use a little bit of life on it.

Truth was he was trying to distract himself, and he seemed to be doing a good job, not thinking about things that could have been and things that he'd lost. He took a deep, cleansing breath when he walked into his flat. Empty, as it always was. He swallowed his loneliness and got to work, deciding to plant his flowers right away.

The work was calming, and there was something ever so satisfying about getting his hands dirty. He'd chosen an orchid, mint, thyme and basil to plant. That way they not only looked pretty, but he could put some of them to use. He placed the potted plants on the sill of the balcony, where they would get a lot of light and watered them with care.

He sat down on the balcony when he was done, just watching the city go by. Once he would have looked on the goings-on with disdain, but now he simply enjoyed the little interactions he could see, people going about their daily lives. It was strange for him, but he was learning to let go of that thousand-year old hate.


	2. Chapter 2

Star: I own nothing!

Hao was at the shop promptly at 8:30, wearing neat black slacks and a white button-down shirt. No point in looking unprofessional, he reasoned. Kia opened the door for him and let him inside. "Just a few things to get on the floor before we open up." She told him. "Be careful with any vials you handle, some of the potions can have interesting effects on humans."

"I'll remember that." Hao said. "How do I know where to put things?" He asked, picking up a box.

"There's a ledger on the desk with a detailed description on where everything goes." Kia answered, sweeping the floor. Aly was presumably hiding from him. He said as much to Kia, who laughed. "More like spying on you discreetly. The moment you try to harm me she'll be all over you."

"That's very comforting, thank you." Hao said sarcastically, putting a tonic for hoof arthritis on the shelf it belonged on. A potion for elf-pox went on another shelf. "Are all of these real things?" Hao asked, frowning at some of the labels.

"Yes." Kia replied. "As nonsensical as they sound, they are real. Those that create such potions tend to have a screwy sense of humour and name things when they're only half awake after days of nonstop brewing."

"Sounds like fun." Hao said doubtfully. If there was one thing he had in common with his brother, it was that he enjoyed his sleep and missing out on sleep was one thing bound to make him testy.

"I've pulled a few all-nighter's myself." Kia said, chuckling. "Though that was a few centuries ago. Getting too old to be up all night now." She added.

"You know, I always thought that every time I saw you in each of my lives it was a reincarnation, or some form of passing on a title, but now I'm not so sure." Hao commented. Kia just smiled at him. "You're not going to tell me, are you?"

"Well, I will say that your thousand years have nothing on me." She replied cheekily. Hao sighed in exasperation. "Never forget, you have chosen to work here."

"And regretting it more by the minute." Hao grumbled. Kia just laughed at him.

Kia flipped the sign on the shop to say open. Not long after they got their first customers of the day. The one girl seemed to ripple as she walked in and let go of the illusion spell on her. She had snakes for hair, coral snakes, if Hao was guessing his species right and had scales around her eyes, which were covered by a pair of tinted glasses, scales on her elbows and probably more hidden by her clothes. The girl with her did not seem to have anything out of the ordinary about her, and was simply looking around the shop in amazement.

"Ahh, Cassiopeia, good to see you." Kia greeted the gorgon. "And this must be the lovely Haru I've been hearing so much about."

"Yeah, this is her." Cassiopeia said. Haru smiled shyly at Kia, trying to avoid staring at her ears and tail. Hao realized she must be completely human. "Haru, this is Kia, she's the one that supplies me with all the things I need to pass as human."

"And I guess I have to thank you for that, I mean I never would have met Cassy if it wasn't for the fact that she was in university and she's helped me so much with figuring out my sexuality and everything and sorry, I'm rambling." Haru said with a blush.

"You are most welcome, youngling." Kia said.

"Who's this?" Cassy asked, peering at Hao.

"This is an old friend, who's agreed to help me out in the shop." Kia replied.

"Hao Asakura." Hao bowed his head in greeting.

"Are you human?" Cassy asked curiously. Hao hesitated a moment; he still didn't like to be referred to as human, but he was one, technically speaking.

"Yes, although I am a shaman." He answered.

"Oh! So you know magic." Cassy said. "Well, makes sense then that Kia knows you."

"I know many non-magical people, my dear." Kia answered patiently.

"Really?" Cassy asked.

"My travels lead me to many people, of all different types." Kia said with a smile. "It would be boring if I only ever spoke to those that know magic."

"That's true, I wouldn't have the most adorable girlfriend ever if I didn't talk to humans." Cassy said, hugging Haru tight, making the girl blush again. "Should I tell the others about him, so, you know, they're not surprised? I know some people would feel a little nervous seeing him around here."

"That would be lovely, thank you." Kia agreed. Cassy grinned and bounced out the door with Haru in tow.

"Interesting way to start the day." Hao commented. Kia just laughed at him again.

%&%&%&%

"So where'd you go last night?" Horohoro asked during breakfast.

"Oh, I just needed to get away for a little bit." Yoh shrugged.

"Went and stargazed, didn't you?" Manta said. Yoh nodded his head. It was partly the truth. "I figured that's where you went, told the others to just let you be."

"Thanks, Manta." Yoh was glad no one tried to find him, that might not have ended well.

"You seemed a little distracted yesterday, still not thinking about him, are you?" Ren asked primly. No one had to ask who Ren was talking about.

"You know it's not far from my thoughts most days." Yoh replied. "I just…" He trailed off. He'd had this argument so many times before, and no one seemed to want to understand why he felt so guilty, even if he knew that he hadn't killed Hao, because there had been a moment, just a moment, that he had _wanted_ to kill him, and that shook him to his core.

"Still having nightmares?" Manta asked softly.

"Not last night." And thank the spirits for that. "But they still come."

"You just need to stop thinking about it." Horohoro suggested.

"Yes, because that is very helpful advice, as if he's never thought of that before." Ren said, smacking Horohoro over the head. "It was very traumatizing for all of us, but most of all Yoh, that's not something you just get over."

"Thank you, Ren." Yoh said.

"And it's not as though you can go to a therapist to talk about it." Manta commented. "They'd probably have you committed." Yoh nodded his head in agreement.

"Hmph." Anna of course thought he was being foolish. When he woke up screaming from his nightmares her only response was to tell him to shut up and assign him more chores and training the next day. No help was forthcoming from her and it was up to Amidamaru to try and soothe him after a particularly bad night.

Yoh hoped that the more he spoke to Hao, because he was certain he would, the less nightmares he would have. He wondered if Hao knew exactly what he had done and what Yoh had gone through when he'd tried to steal his soul. He'd have to ask sometime.

"You okay, Yoh?" Horohoro's voice brought him back out of his thoughts. He smiled reassuringly at his friends.

"Just spacing out, I guess." He said. Horohoro grinned and Manta laughed, but Ren's sharp eyes still stared at him, obviously not convinced. "Really, I'm okay."

"I should hope so, after all you just turned sixteen." Horohoro said. "Sweet sixteen."

"I'm pretty sure that's only a girl's thing." Manta said.

"Why does it have to be?" Horohoro replied. The conversation became friendly bickering after that. Yoh smiled at his friends' antics and shook his head. Ren was still watching him though.


	3. Chapter 3

Amidamaru told him that Hao was at the café they'd gone to a couple days before. Yoh told Anna he was going for a walk and set out, hoping that Hao would wait for him. "I do not think there is any need for haste." Amidamaru said. "He saw me when he sat down, and nodded in greeting."

"Ah, so he knows I'm coming." Yoh said, slowing down a little.

"Most likely." Amidamaru agreed. "I still do not like this." He added after a pause.

"I know." Yoh said. "But we need to try." Amidamaru sighed.

"You would not be you if you did not try." He admitted. "I simply fear for your safety."

"So do I." Yoh admitted. "But I'm going to do this anyways." He yawned widely. It hadn't been a good night for him. Amidamaru gave him another worried look, but didn't comment. Yoh watched the samurai stiffen as they came to the café, where Hao was idly stirring his cup of coffee, sitting out on the patio. Another mug was already there, as well as a little pastry.

"I feel as though we will need a system, if we are to keep meeting like this." Hao said as Yoh sat down.

"I doubt you have a cell phone that I could text you with." Yoh said.

"No, but we could work out a schedule." Hao suggested. "That way you do not have to ask Amidamaru to hang around to watch for me. I'm certain he would rather be doing anything else." Amidamaru snorted at that and Yoh gave him a look. "I think, given the circumstances, he is allowed to be a little rude to me. I feel that is the least of what I deserve."

"What do you mean by that?" Yoh asked, yawning again.

"You seem tired." Hao said gently, ignoring his question.

"Didn't sleep well, nightmares." He hadn't meant it to be an accusation, but Hao flinched a little all the same.

"May I-"

"No." Yoh said firmly. "I don't want to talk about it."

"That is fair." Hao conceded. "Would an apology for whatever it is that is haunting you suffice for the moment?"

"Maybe." Yoh said frankly. Hao nodded his head, stirring his coffee once again. "What have you been doing?" Yoh asked. He eyed the sketchbook by Hao's elbow and took a cautious sip of his own coffee.

"Working in a shop." Yoh nearly spat out his coffee. He coughed and gaped at Hao.

"You're messing with me." He accused.

"I am not." A smile played about Hao's lips, but it was not the condescending smile that Hao usually reserved for Yoh. It was amused, but not cruelly so. "I needed something to occupy my time and an old friend offered me a position."

"An old friend." Yoh repeated.

"She and I have had our differences in the past, but I believe she still counts me as a friend." Hao said. "You may have heard of her, I'm not certain. The legends call her the Ageless." Yoh blinked.

"As in Kia the Ageless?" He asked. Hao nodded. "She's real?"

"Very real and very annoying." Hao replied, though his words had no bite to them. "She has a habit of showing up to criticize me."

"Is she really ageless?" Yoh asked, intrigued.

"She has not seemed to age in all the time I've known her." Hao replied with a shrug. "I am not sure how she does it, and I doubt she'll tell me."

"Arcane secrets?" Yoh asked.

"No, I think she just enjoys confusing people." Hao replied.

"So, what exactly do you do?" Yoh asked, still trying to wrap his head around the thought of Hao working in a shop.

"Tidy up, stock the shelves, do inventory, help customers, that sort of thing." Hao said. "It surprises me how many humans actually come in."

"What do you mean?"

"The shop caters to supernaturals, and there are wards that only allow those that need the services of the shop to see the shop." Hao explained.

"So the fact that humans can get means they need the shop." Yoh guessed.

"Precisely. Most are looking out for friends who, for whatever reason, can't get to the shop themselves. Some are looking for presents, some dabble in their own magic or potion-making." Hao said.

"Kind of a wake-up call for someone who considers humans to be violent and vehemently against anything to do with magic." Yoh said, well-aware that he was being rude.

"It was." Hao said. "Though it was not my only wake-up call."

"Oh?" Yoh took a bite of his pastry. It was orange, his favourite.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you." Hao said, shaking his head. Yoh scowled at him. "I'm not trying to insult your intelligence, I still have trouble believing what happened to me. Now, do you mind if I ask what you've been up to?"

"Same as ever. Anna won't let me stop training just in case. I've gotten better at cooking at least." He said, trying to sound cheerful. From the look on Hao's face he hadn't been successful.

"I'm guessing she doesn't do much else but order everyone around." Hao said.

"Well…" Yoh hated to say anything bad about anyone, and he hated feeling like he was whining.

"I'll change the subject, shall I?" Hao suggested gently. "What are your plans, should the tournament not continue?"

"I… I don't really know." Yoh admitted. "The tournament was what I had planned. It was always…. It was like I never had any other choice, according to my grandfather anyways."

"What would you have done, if you had the choice?" Hao asked.

"I don't know. I don't really like school, but I know I'd have to do good in school in order to pursue a career."

"Depends on the career." Hao said idly.

"Well, the problem is I'm not really good at anything useful." Yoh said bitterly. "Not much that a shaman can do in this world."

"Diplomacy." Hao said.

"Pardon?" Yoh asked.

"I've seen you coax people with very different opinions into working with one another. Your friends defer to you, even if they are not sure of your plan, and you manage to turn enemies into friends wherever you go." Hao sipped at his coffee. "That is a rare talent. And the fact that you do it without any manipulation on your part is rarer still."

"What could I even use that for though?" Yoh said sceptically.

"Negotiate between warring countries, hold a seat in the UN, that sort of thing." Hao replied evenly, as though it was the easiest thing in the world. Yoh stared at him, trying to figure out if Hao was making fun of him. "May I ask if your friends were concerned about you leaving your own party?"

"No, most of them know I need time to myself sometimes." Yoh said. "Being around people all the time is tiring."

"It is." Hao agreed. "I wonder why." He mused.

"Dunno." Yoh replied. "Ren seemed a little suspicious, but he's always been good at reading other people."

"Do you think he suspects something?" Hao asked, sounding a little worried.

"Are you worried he'll follow me?" Yoh asked.

"Ren worries me because he tends to fight first, ask questions later." Hao said. "His temper often gets the better of him, and if he thinks that somehow you have turned traitor…"

"Yeah, that worries me." Yoh said. "I don't think he suspects anything, he just knew I wasn't telling the whole story. I doubt he'll try and follow me or question me unless I really start acting strange."

"That's good to hear, because I'd very much like to keep doing this." Hao said with a faint smile.

"Me too." Yoh admitted. He felt relaxed now, talking to Hao. "Sundays are probably best for me, after I do my chores, which… one o'clock then?"

"That works fine. I'll speak to Kia, so that I am not working at that time." Hao stood and placed money on the table. "I'll see you Sunday then?" He sounded hopeful. It was kind of cute.

"Yeah, I'll see you Sunday." Yoh agreed.


	4. Chapter 4

Star: I own nothing!

Hao waited until they were closed for the day to speak to Kia. "I need Sundays off." He said, his tone making it clear that it was a request and not a demand.

"Oh?" Kia looked at him. "And why is that?"

"I'm meeting my brother on Sundays to talk." Hao admitted. Kia's tail curled in amusement.

"I see." She said, a smile tucked away in the corners of her mouth. "And how is your brother?"

"Wary of me, but curious." Hao said. "He told me he's been having nightmares," he said after a moment's hesitation. "I know that they are about me."

"Hmm." Kia simply shuffled a few papers.

"Is there anything that can help with that?" Hao asked.

"Dreams are necessary." Kia replied. "If there was a way to get rid of nightmares it would get rid of regular dreams as well and humans need to dream in order to stay sane. Besides, do you really think he'd accept something like that from you right now?"

"No, you're right." Hao sighed. "It's just frustrating. I care about him, but to show it would probably frighten him away, wondering what I was up to. I can't stop caring either, which is probably the worst part."

"Love is a wonderful, terrible thing." Kia said softly. "It gives you strength and makes you weak all at once."

"I suppose you would know about that." Hao said, wondering how many people she'd left behind, how many had grown old and died while she remained. Kia simply nodded, looking old and tired.

"Sundays off then." She said. "I assume no one else knows you're talking to him."

"Are you kidding me?" Hao asked with disbelief. "I'd have already been attacked by now if they knew."

"None of them feel as Yoh does, do they?" Kia asked.

"No, to be fair I have tried to kill them, and caused a lot of pain and suffering for Yoh." Hao said. "Yoh is the glue that binds them together, so they can be quite protective of him. Most of them simply despise me because of that, but I think Ren hates me because I remind him of who he used to be, and what he could have been. I don't blame them for hating me, is what I'm saying."

"Very mature of you." Kia said approvingly.

"I am a thousand years old." Hao reminded her.

"Which makes you but a child in my eyes." Kia said with a laugh. "Now, off with you, I have dinner to make."

%&%&%&%

Yoh arrived early to the café on Sunday and ordered for him and Hao. He wasn't sure if Hao would want a pastry, since he didn't have one the last time and debated for a moment. "Anything cinnamon will do." Hao's voice behind him said. Yoh jumped and gave Hao a reproachful look. "Sorry, sometimes I forget how quietly I can move."

"Please try not to do that too often." Yoh sighed as they went out to the patio. "I am still very high strung from being attacked almost daily during the Shaman Fight, I'd hate to destroy something because I'm trying to defend myself."

"I'll try to remember that." Hao replied with a chuckle. They sat down, Hao putting his sketchbook down on the table. Yoh eyed it curiously. "You can have a look at it if you want." Hao offered casually.

Yoh took the sketchbook and opened it to the first page. The first drawing was of a young woman behind a desk, her elbow on the desk and chin propped up by her hand. She was staring right at the viewer, with a smile of amused indulgence on her face. What drew Yoh's eyes were the wolf's ears drawn in place of regular ears.

"That's Kia." Hao said.

"Really?" Yoh said. "You know they don't mention that she has wolf ears in the legends, they just say she is like a wolf and there's a lot of room in that description for interpretations."

"She has a tail too." Hao said. "I've never seen it wag, I think she's too refined for that, though she's not above making jokes at my expense."

"You let her do that?" Yoh asked. "Sorry, that was rude."

"I think it was a fair question." Hao laughed. "Even if I didn't allow it, she still would."

"Not at all impressed or intimidated by you?" Yoh guessed.

"Not even a bit." Hao said with a heavy sigh.

"I'll bet that pissed you off." Yoh grimaced. What was with him and being so rude today?

"A time or two." Hao said amiably. "Which is probably why she did it."

"I like her already." Yoh said. He flipped the page of the sketchbook. A child peeking out from around a shelf, glaring at the viewer was the next picture. She had wild long hair and had a feral gleam in her eyes.

"That's Aly, Kia's assistant." Hao said. "She's a vampire."

"Someone turned a kid into a vampire?" Yoh asked.

"From what I was able to get Kia to tell me, the circumstances around Aly's turning were… unfortunate." Hao said. "I could not get her to tell me more."

"She looks angry." Yoh commented.

"She doesn't like me very much right now, but I did try to set her on fire the last time I saw her." Hao replied.

"You just piss everyone off, don't you?" Yoh muttered and then clamped a hand over his mouth. "I'm sorry, I have no idea why I'm being so rude."

"Perhaps because you feel safe enough to?" Hao suggested gently. "Perhaps it is a way to vent your frustration towards me, in a manner that will do no harm save to my ego?"

"Maybe." Yoh admitted. "I am sorry though." He added.

"Apology accepted." Hao said evenly.

"What kind of power does Kia have?" Yoh asked. "They say she can look into the future."

"Not quite." Hao said. "She gets senses of things that are to come and things that are happening, if I recall correctly. So, if something bad was coming she'd feel a sense of dread hanging over her."

"Like the Force." Yoh said. Hao likely had no idea what that meant.

"Yes, like the Force." Hao agreed.

"You know Star Wars?" Yoh asked, surprised.

"I'm not completely out of touch with modern culture." Hao said with a faint smile. "I also enjoy Jurassic Park."

"Huh." Yoh wasn't sure what to do with that information.

"Kia can also sense magic, as part of her clairvoyant abilities, so she's always known who I am before I even tell her." Hao added. "If she looks at you, you can't look away until she releases you and it's like staring into eternity."

"What exactly is she around for?" Yoh asked.

"She helps people." Hao answered. "She is the servant of the Mother, and so takes care of Her children."

"The Mother?" Yoh felt rather ignorant that he didn't know these things, but Hao just explained patiently.

"Any goddess in mythology who has the aspect of a Mother." Hao explained. "The Mother is all of them, and can be different aspects depending on who needs Her, so Kia speaks to Isis, Hera, Demeter, Juno, and many others, but they are considered the same being."

"Oh." Yoh frowned slightly. "Kind of like how the Great Spirit is every kind of afterlife that is imagined?"

"Precisely." Hao agreed.

"She's actually spoken to the Mother?" Yoh asked.

"I do believe so." Hao answered.

"Wow." Yoh said. "I think she's more interesting than you are." Hao laughed.

"I will agree with you on that one." He admitted. "You'd best get going." He suggested. "Otherwise your friends will wonder where you are."

"Yeah." Yoh agreed.

"Thank you for the coffee." Hao said politely. Yoh nodded his head and left, still with no real answers to the problem that was Hao.


	5. Chapter 5

Star: I own nothing!

Hao waited nervously for Yoh, stirring his coffee more than was strictly necessary. He was constantly on edge meeting his brother, worried that a moment's inattention would lead him to saying something that would make Yoh leave and never come back. There was also the anger that simmered in Yoh, just below the surface, the anger that Yoh continued to deny himself to feel.

Hao knew what that was like, that anger, and he knew the consequences of forcing one's emotions back, refusing to feel. That anger had nearly destroyed him, and Yoh in the same moment, that anger had turned him into the monster that would have taken billions of innocent lives. Somehow, he had to help Yoh work through his anger, instead of letting him ignore it.

The problem was, there was also the fear. Yoh hid it well, but Hao could see it, every so often, those dark, kind eyes would look at him and there would be a flicker of fear. It hurt him to see that, but he understood it. It made helping Yoh all that more difficult though.

Yoh sat down across from him and Hao smiled slightly. Yoh smiled back, wanly, and Hao noted the dark circles around his eyes and the way his shoulders drooped. "Sorry, I'm a little late, I know. I had a spill to clean up." Yoh said, sounding tired.

"That's no problem." Hao said. "You haven't been sleeping again." He added. Without thinking he reached out towards Yoh's face. Yoh's hand came up and slammed Hao's hand down onto the table. Yoh's eyes were wild and he was beginning to breathe heavily.

"Do. Not. Touch. Me." Yoh snarled through gritted teeth. Hao yanked his hand back and put up both hands in a placating gesture.

"I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking." He said soothingly. "It won't happen again." His words seemed to have no effect on Yoh, who was staring through him as though he wasn't there, his breath coming in loud gasps as though he couldn't get any air.

Hao quickly spelled the area around them to hide them from prying eyes. "Yoh, calm down, it's alright, calm down." He said. Yoh flinched at the sound of his voice, still staring blankly ahead. "Amidamaru." The samurai spirit looked baffled and afraid, and he too flinched at Hao's voice. "Talk to him, call him back from whatever dark corner of his mind he is stuck in."

"How?" Amidamaru demanded.

"Just speak to him, let him hear your voice and know that he is not wherever he thinks he is." Hao said. "I can do nothing for him, you must try." Hao felt sick, knowing that whatever Yoh was experiencing, it was because of him.

Amidamaru began to talk to Yoh, coaxing him into responding. It seemed an eternity before Hao saw Yoh's eyes actually focus on his guardian spirit. His breathing began to calm, but as it did Yoh simply began to shake all over, his skin pale and his eyes lost and afraid.

"Yoh," Yoh flinched again at his voice and Hao was hard-pressed not to flinch himself. Yoh looked at him though, and not simply through him, so that gave him a little hope. "Go home, Yoh." He said gently. Yoh opened his mouth, probably about to protest, but Hao shook his head. "No, staying here will only make things worse. Go home, relax, rest, and I will see you next week."

Yoh closed his mouth and then slowly nodded. He stood up shakily and walked away from the patio. Hao didn't move until Yoh was out of his sight, feeling extremely shaken. He drained his coffee and stood up to leave. He needed someone to talk to, and he knew just who to go to.

The windchimes on Kia's shop sounded far too cheerful for Hao's mood. "You do know it is Sunday, right?" Kia said, looking up at him. She paused and her expression became concerned. "Are you alright? Pardon my phrasing, but you look as though you've seen a ghost."

"I need to talk to you." Hao said. Kia nodded her head gravely.

"Aly, can you look after the shop for me?" The little vampire hissed and nodded. "Thank you, my dear. Come, we can speak upstairs."

She led him up the stairway in the back of the shop, up to her apartment. In contrast with the dim interior of the shop, lit by the light of an ornate crystal chandelier, Kia's kitchen was brightly coloured and warm with the light of the sun coming through the windows. The cheerful room did little to lift Hao's spirits though.

Kia made him sit and put a kettle on for tea. Once she had the tea brewed she sat down, pushing a steaming mug towards him. "Now, what is wrong?"

"I made the mistake today of trying to touch Yoh." Hao began. "He reacted badly, at first just in anger, but then… it was like he wasn't all there, in his head, he was shaking and gasping for air and he was staring right through me. Amidamaru got him calmed down, thank god, and I sent him home, but… what happened to him?"

"From your description it sounds like he had a panic attack, and possibly a flashback." Kia said. "Flashbacks make you think you are back in a situation that is in your memory, often times they are associated with panic attacks and PTSD, which is likely what your brother is suffering from."

"PTSD?" Hao repeated.

"Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder." Kia said. "It is an anxiety disorder associated with someone having gone through an extremely traumatizing event. PTSD often comes with flashbacks to that traumatizing event, as well as persistent paranoia, avoidance of speaking of the event and anything to do with the event as well as avoiding anything that might remind them of their trauma, suppressing emotions or memories, persistent nightmares, etc. You often see it in soldiers that have come back from war."

"Avoiding anything that might remind them of trauma, does that mean that me meeting with him is making it worse?" Hao asked, horrified.

"Not necessarily." Kia soothed. "Drink your tea." Hao took a sip and let the warmth seep through him, calming him a little. "Avoidance is generally not a good thing." Kia said. "You don't deal with the issue by avoiding it, so I think that having you around, acting in the manner that you do now, will help Yoh put at least some of his fears to rest."

"He suppresses his anger." Hao added. "I don't think he even realizes what he's doing, or that he is angry, but he does it."

"I'm not really qualified for psychological treatment, so I cannot really say how you should proceed." Kia said with a frown. "There's no potion for PTSD, as much as I wish."

"And it's not as though he could talk out his problem with a regular psychiatrist." Hao said moodily. "Can you… no, never mind."

"What?" Kia asked.

"I was about to ask if you knew anyone, but I don't think Yoh would accept that kind of help from me, not right now." Hao sighed.

"That's very wise of you to understand." Kia said approvingly. "If you want my opinion I'd say just keep going on as you are. The less he is able to associate you with those bad memories, the more he will heal."

"There's really nothing else I can do, is there?" Hao said, feeling defeated.

"No, there's not." Kia agreed. "The best thing would be to get him professional help, but that's out of the question. What of his friends?"

"I don't think they truly understand, I mean I am certain part of Yoh's problem is guilt and they don't… they don't think of me as human." Hao said. "Which is perfectly understandable, but…"

"It does make things hard on Yoh, knowing that the people he trusts probably consider his insecurities foolish, or abhorrent." Kia finished for him.

"Yes." Hao sighed.

"Make sure he knows that if he feels uncomfortable he can leave, or tell you to leave." Kia said. "It will make him feel better knowing he has that power."

"He was going to protest when I told him to go home." Hao admitted. "He has this massive sense of duty, and I think it makes it hard for him to say no to certain things, if he feels obligated to them."

"A problem for another day." Kia told him. "The first thing is to get him to trust you, then you can try and help him with his other problems."

"One thing at a time." Hao said, draining his mug of tea. "I should let you get back to work."

"You should." Kia agreed. "Remember not to lose heart, Hao."

"I'll try." Hao said before taking his leave of her.


	6. Chapter 6

Star: I own nothing!

Yoh walked towards the café, feeling dread twist his stomach in knots. "Yoh…" Amidamaru started.

"I know." Yoh said. "He didn't mean it though, and I want…" He swallowed. "I want to stop being afraid."

He wanted so many things; he wanted to stop feeling like a failure, like he was weak every time he woke up from another terrifying nightmare. He had gone home after the terrible meeting last Sunday and just cried silently into his pillow for hours, feeling sick to his stomach. His skin had felt itchy and like there was something crawling beneath it and no amount of washing made it go away. He'd finally exhausted himself enough to fall into a fitful slumber, tormented by nightmares all night and woken up the next morning feeling tired, but somehow a little more human again.

"Even so." The samurai spirit murmured, obviously remembering Yoh's distress. His face darkened as they got close to the café and could see Hao out on the patio. He appeared to be sketching something, and the look of him was so… domestic that some of the tension eased out of Yoh's muscles, making him feel a little less twisted up in knots.

"How do you feel this week?" Hao asked quietly when he sat down.

"Um, better." Yoh replied. "I'm sorry, about last week-"

"You have nothing to apologize for, it's me who is sorry." Hao said. "I should have known better."

"How could you have?" Yoh countered.

"Traumatizing events leave their mark on the mind, and I have never touched you without the intent to harm." Hao replied gently. Yoh looked down at the table. "You have nothing to be ashamed of."

"Not according to Anna." Yoh muttered.

"Anna only has her own interests in mind, not everyone else's, and that's not a good mindset to have." Hao said sternly. "I'd advise you not to take her words to heart."

"You giving me advice on my life, that's rich." Yoh said sarcastically. He was about to apologize, but Hao just chuckled a little.

"I suppose it is." He replied. "Have your friends ever…?"

"A couple times." Yoh admitted. He wasn't sure why he was telling Hao this; it embarrassed him after all. "The first little while, after…" Hao grimaced. "Most of them think I should be over it now, they are, but they…"

"They didn't have to deal quite with what you did." Hao finished for him.

"Ren gets it." Yoh said. "I can talk to him, a little, but he tends to get impatient with me."

"I imagine he does." Hao said. "Which leads me to my next point. Yoh, if you ever feel uncomfortable with what I am doing, what I am saying, or you just feel like you need to leave, don't hesitate. Don't sit here with me if it makes you uncomfortable, okay? I want you to feel safe… well, as safe as you can around me, anyways."

"What in the hell happened to you, Hao?" Yoh said after a moment of just staring incredulously at Hao.

"Someday." Hao said with a smile. Yoh almost wanted to growl in frustration. He was so curious about what had been done to Hao to change him like this, but Hao seemed determined to make him crazy trying to guess. "How have the nightmares been?"

"Same as ever." Yoh replied neutrally. "Kia, she makes potions, right?"

"I asked her about something that could help one sleep without nightmares." Hao told him. "She told me that such a potion would rid the drinker of any and all dreams and that wasn't good. We need dreams, in order to keep our mind healthy, according to her."

"Oh." Yoh's shoulders sagged. He was so tired of waking up screaming or crying. "You probably think I'm weak for getting so worked up about this." He said bitterly.

"You're not the only one with recurring nightmares." Hao said idly in reply. Yoh looked up at him in surprise.

"You did not just tell me that." He said. "Seriously, you don't admit to anything, especially anything that might be considered weakness."

"Times change and so must I." Hao said. "I finally discovered that ignoring my feelings wasn't doing anything good for me."

"No kidding." Yoh replied sarcastically. "So what do you do about the nightmares?"

"Do you remember the nights you'd find me stargazing?" Hao replied. Yoh nodded his head. "The nightmares are almost always about the day my mother was killed. Looking at the stars was one of the things we used to do together, one of the happy times, so it calms me, even now, thinking that I am close to her."

"I'm sorry, about your mother." Yoh said genuinely. It was still baffling to him that Hao was willing to admit to these sort of things, but he was willing to go with it.

"She would have hated what I'd become." Hao sighed.

"Well, you seem to be making up for it now." Yoh said lamely.

"Don't feel like you need to comfort me, I have much to atone for and it is better that I remember that." Hao said.

"I can't help myself, I want to help people, no matter who they are or what they've done." Yoh said with a shrug.

"You're a better person than me, then." Hao said. Yoh nearly choked on his tea at that remark.

"God, don't do that, you're going to give me a heart attack." He complained. Hao smiled at him. "You enjoy confusing me, don't you?" He accused.

"Let's just say I understand why Kia finds herself so amusing when she gives me enigmatic answers to her questions." Hao laughed. "She insists on calling me youngling, much to my dismay."

"Must be good for your ego." Yoh muttered.

"Definitely." Hao agreed. He pushed his sketchbook towards Yoh. "I've been drawing some of our frequent customers." He explained. Yoh looked at the page, seeing a very large creature that looked like a bull mixed with a man. He had one arm around the shoulders of a much smaller human woman, at least Yoh assumed she was human, and the other arm held a baby version of the bull.

"Is that a Minotaur?" Yoh asked.

"Yup, his name is Ferdinand. That's his wife Helene, and his son Samuel." Hao said. "I held the little guy and boy is he heavy. He also took a liking to my hair and nearly ripped a good sized chunk of it out before Helene made him let go."

"Is Helene human?" Yoh asked.

"She is." Hao said. "You get a lot of human-supernatural relationships in a city this big. Flip the page."

Yoh obeyed and looked at the two girls drawn there. They were sitting perched on a desk. One was blushing, looking shy, while the other grinned, the snakes that made up her hair trying to wind their way through the other girl's hair. The snake-haired girl had glasses on, and scales around her eyes, on her elbows and on the back of her neck.

"That's Cassy, Cassiopeia is her full name, and her girlfriend Haru." Hao said. "Cassy's a gorgon."

"Is that why she wears the glasses?" Yoh asked. Hao nodded his head.

"They're charmed to prevent her stare from causing people to turn to stone." He explained. "There's apparently contacts that will do the same now, but Cassy's allergic to them."

"How do they go around the city, do they have magic protecting them?" Yoh asked.

"Kia's specialty is charms of protection and concealment. Her charms are good enough that they can make people think they are seeing and feeling something very different from what's actually there." Hao explained.

"True illusions." Yoh commented. "Hard to do, especially to make them undetectable."

"Even I can't do them as well as Kia." Hao admitted. "Though her knowledge has come over a longer time period than I have had."

"How old do you think she is?" Yoh asked curiously.

"Honestly, I think she's thousands of years old, if the legends are anything to go by." Hao replied.

"And there's always at least a grain of truth when it comes to legends." Yoh said.

"Exactly." Hao said approvingly. "You'd best get going now." He said. "Wouldn't want someone to come looking."

"Well, Ren's back home, Horohoro's out with his sister, but yeah, shouldn't tempt fate." Yoh agreed. "See you next week."


	7. Chapter 7

Star: I own nothing!

"I bought a television." were Hao's first words to Kia one sunny morning. She turned and laughed at the expression on his face.

"You make that sound as if you've committed some heinous crime." She managed to get out before dissolving into gales of laughter again at the wounded look Hao gave her. "What's wrong with a television?" She finally asked.

"Truthfully? Nothing, really." Hao reluctantly admitted. "But I spent so much time sneering and looking down on the modern world and all its technologies that I feel a bit like a hypocrite."

"A little bruising to your ego to admit that things might not be as bad as you thought?" Kia suggested cheekily.

"You're a menace." Hao grumbled, snatching the broom from her hand and beginning to sweep the floor.

"So what do you watch with your television?" Kia asked after a few minutes.

"I've been watching a few of the crime dramas like CSI." Hao admitted. "Food Network is always good as well."

"I agree with that." Kia chuckled.

"I found a few movies as well, the new Batman trilogy, and the Lord of the Rings, to name a couple." Hao said. "I avoid the news like the plague."

"Probably for the best." Kia said. "I assume you'd prefer an intellectually stimulating movie over anything else?" Hao nodded his head. "I'd recommend then Pleasantville and Secondhand Lions."

"What are they about?" Hao asked suspiciously. He wouldn't put it past her to trick him into watching something stupid.

"In a sense I guess you could say they are commentaries on humanity, at least, Pleasantville is. Secondhand Lions is one of those films that you can't quite explain in words, but is both entertaining and thought provoking."

"I'll give them a look." Hao replied.

"How is your brother?" Kia asked idly.

"He is sarcastic." Hao said. "Which is always a little bit of a surprise to hear because he's so easy going normally, but I guess it makes sense."

"What do you talk about with him?" Kia queried.

"I talk about my work here, and I try to get him to talk about the difficulties he's been having." Hao paused for a moment and then looked at Kia. "Do you know anything about abusive relationships?"

"A thing or two." Kia replied.

"Yoh's fiancé Anna, she has a tendency to smack Yoh when she thinks he's being foolish, when she thinks he's slacking off or when he does something she doesn't like. She also smacks his friends for the same reasons. She also makes him train to a degree that I worry will hurt him eventually." Hao rattled off. "I've seen her get upset though at him being hurt by someone else, so I'm not sure…"

"An abuser can genuinely care for the person they are abusing." Kia said gently. "An abuser can be nice to the person they are abusing, but that doesn't make their situation any less abusive."

"Wonderful, one more thing to worry about with Yoh." Hao grumbled. "And he won't listen to me I'm sure. Yoh likes to believe the best of people."

"Try." Kia said. "Don't push, but try. Get him to open up about how he feels about Anna and what she puts him through. The best thing to do would be to get him out of that situation, but he's not at a point where he would trust you to let you kidnap him away."

"Why are you always right?" Hao demanded.

"Because I'm older and wiser than you." Kia replied smugly. Hao gave her a dirty look. She just laughed at him and flipped their sign to say open.

%&%&%&%

Hao was so engrossed in his drawing that Yoh sitting across from him made him jump. He looked up and saw that Yoh was trying valiantly not to laugh. "Go ahead, god only knows that I've snuck up on you way too many times. Consider it payback." Hao said, waving a hand at him.

"It just looked so undignified." Yoh said, chuckling a little. "Which looks so odd when it comes to you."

"Yes well, I'm actually a complete dork, the dignity is a cover-up." Hao said. Yoh tilted his head, looking at Hao's drawing. It was a recreation of a scene from Pleasantville, the one where David is hiding Betty Parker's colour under grey make-up. The only colour in the picture was of course Betty herself, the rest was all in greys.

"This reminds me of a book I've read." Yoh said.

"Really?" Hao asked. "What book is that?"

"It's called the Giver. It's about this society, where everything seems perfect, but people don't see in colours and they have limited emotional depth. They get put into careers when they are eleven and the lead of the story, Jonah, gets to become the Keeper of Memories, basically, he learns everything that happened in the past, before the Sameness, which is what the emotions and colours thing is. As the story goes on he starts to see more colours, and starts to see that things aren't as great as they seem, because if people don't fit into the society they are not welcome."

"Hm, that's actually similar to what this is from." Hao said. "It's from a movie called Pleasantville, have you seen it?" Yoh shook his head.

"You watch movies?" Yoh asked. "Sorry, that didn't come out right."

"I think it did actually." Hao said, laughing slightly. "Honestly, there are a great many things that I think I've missed out on because of my holier-than-thou views on modern technology. Because in essence a movie is a theater production, and I've certainly enjoyed my share of those."

"It's always interesting to watch a movie that was once a play or a play that was a movie, because they have different ways of showing things, special effects, that sort of thing." Yoh said. "I like the way they use music in movies in particular, really helps the mood."

"I'll agree with that." Hao said.

"What sort of movies do you watch?" Yoh asked.

"Anything that's thought provoking." Hao shrugged. "Genre doesn't matter so long as it's well done and it makes me think a little."

"I like movies like that too." Yoh admitted. "But sometimes it's nice to just turn off your brain, enjoy a story for what it is, laugh without having to think too much about it, you know?" Hao nodded. "I also really like kids' movies." He added, looking embarrassed.

"I've been introduced to Disney." Hao said. "If I left the girls in charge of Opacho, they usually just popped in a movie for her. I'd come home to Under the Sea being belted out in terrible tone-deaf voices."

"Sounds like fun." Yoh chuckled. "So what's Pleasantville about, I don't think I've ever heard of it."

"It's about a couple of teenagers that get zapped into a TV show that's all in black and white. Pleasantville is exactly what it sounds like, pleasant, but also stagnant and things are always done the same day after day, no one is really unique, everyone just plays their part." Hao explained. "The two kids that come through start changing things just by being themselves, challenging the people to find who they really are instead of following the same old paths. As people start to break free of the expectations society has for them, and the expectations that they have for themselves they and their world starts to gain colour."

"I'm guessing there are those that didn't like that." Yoh guessed.

"Hm, yes. It becomes commentary on the nature of prejudice, and how people react to things that are new and strange." Hao said. "There's a lot of good symbolism in it."

"It sounds like a good one to watch." Yoh said.

"I'll let you borrow it if you let me borrow the Giver." Hao offered. Yoh gave him an incredulous look, a bemused smile working its way across his face.

"I can bring it next week." Yoh said. "It may take me a little bit of time to get your movie back to you though. I'd have to watch it on a day when Anna's not around, she'd ask too many questions."

"Probably a good idea." Hao agreed. Now was not the time to speak to Yoh about Anna. He needed a natural transition into that conversation, otherwise Yoh would become suspicious of his intentions. "There's an interesting program on tonight, it's called Cosmos."

"What's it about?" Yoh asked.

"Science, space." Hao said. "It's on at nine, give it a watch."

"I'm surprised you are recommending something about science for me to watch." Yoh said.

"Oh, I think you are far more intelligent than you let on." Hao said with a smile. Yoh stared at him. He packed up his sketchpad. "I will see you next week."

"Huh? Oh, yeah, see you." Yoh said dazedly. Hao carefully did not start laughing until he knew he was out of Yoh's line of sight.


	8. Chapter 8

Star: I own nothing!

"What are you watching?" Yoh looked up at Ren's voice and smiled.

"It's called Cosmos." He replied. "It's a science program."

"Alright, why are you watching it?" Ren asked.

"Heard someone talking about it on the street, thought it sounded interesting." Yoh answered.

"You and science though." Ren pointed out. "It's not exactly your best subject."

"There's a difference between listening to a teacher drone on about something and having someone who knows what they are talking about and are passionate about it talk about it." Yoh replied. "It's pretty cool stuff, like stars and black holes and all that."

"Well, as long as you're enjoying it." Ren shrugged and walked off. It bothered Yoh a little bit that Ren was sceptical of Yoh liking something to do with science. All of his friends didn't think he was very smart, book-wise that is. Truth was he got bored too easily, especially in class, so he hardly paid attention and got by barely passing. He didn't mind learning new things though, as long as they were able to keep his attention.

Hao thought he was smart though. Yoh wasn't sure if it was a subtle mockery, an attempt to sway him to his side, or if it was simply a compliment, but he couldn't put it out of his mind. The fact that Hao of all people had said it to him was just too weird.

He jumped a little as Ren settled down on the couch to watch with him. "So what have you been up to?" Ren asked. "You seem… different."

"Different how?" Yoh asked, trying not to feel nervous.

"I'm not sure exactly." Ren admitted.

"I've been having less nightmares lately," Yoh lied. "Maybe it's just that I look like I'm actually getting a good night's sleep?"

"Maybe." Ren looked doubtful though.

"Hey." Yoh said, reaching out and clasping Ren's shoulder. "You know that I would tell you if I was having trouble, right?"

"I'm not so sure about that." Ren replied frankly. "Out of all of us I think you're the best at hiding how you feel."

"Nah, I'm an open book." Yoh said. Ren's eyes bored into his and he looked away.

"Don't lie to me Yoh, the others might not see through your goofball persona, but I do." Ren said softly. "Something is going on and I don't like not knowing what it is."

"Ren, please." Yoh said. "I have some things I need to figure out on my own." He smiled slightly. "I promise I'm not putting myself into harm's way, does that make you happy?"

"No, but it will do for now." Ren said. "You're stubborn as they come so trying to beat the answer out of you will do me no good."

"Just trust me, for now." Yoh pleaded. Ren looked at him again, eyes glittering.

"I've trusted you since you came to rescue me from my father, nothing is going to change that." He said.

"Thanks Ren."

"Don't make me regret it." Ren growled in reply.

%&%&%&%

"So Ren definitely knows something is up." Hao looked up at Yoh's words, trying not to look alarmed.

"Should we stop meeting for now?" He asked.

"I don't think so." Yoh replied, placing a book on the table. It was an awfully small book. "It's The Giver." Yoh said.

"I wasn't expecting it to be so small." Hao commented, taking it.

"Yeah, packs quite a literary punch though." Yoh said with a smile. Hao took out the DVD he'd brought with him and slid it over to Yoh's side of the table. "Thanks."

"Do you think he'll follow you once he figures out you leave the same time every Sunday?" Hao asked.

"I don't think so, not so long as I don't come back looking upset or hurt." Yoh replied.

"So keep my hands to myself is what you're saying." Hao tried to joke.

"That's probably a good idea." Yoh said soberly. "I watched Cosmos."

"Really? What did you think?" Hao asked eagerly.

"All that stuff about black holes just messes with my mind." Yoh said.

"It does." Hao agreed.

"It's cool though, to think that we have the means to find these things, and to see these things." Yoh continued on. "The fact that every time we look up at the night sky we are looking into the past just makes stargazing so much cooler now."

"I agree." Hao said. "The show actually used to run a couple decades ago, with a man by the name of Carl Sagan as its host."

"The name sounds familiar." Yoh said, frowning slightly.

"He was actually Neil Degrasse Tyson's inspiration, back when he was starting out with physics." Hao explained. "So now he's getting to do the show that his hero started."

"Wow, must be a dream come true for him." Yoh commented.

"Indeed." Hao agreed.

"Do you think there could be other universes out there?" Yoh asked.

"Why not?" Hao said. "Anything's possible." He added, wistfully thinking of the universe where he and his brother had grown up together.

"Hey, you okay?" Yoh asked, looking concerned.

"Fine, just thinking." Hao said, shaking his head. He flipped through the pages of The Giver. "What else do you read?"

"Not as much as I'd like." Yoh said. "But I've read the Book Thief, Harry Potter, the Hunger Games, tried to get through the Lord of the Rings, but they were just too long for me."

"They're not for everyone." Hao replied mildly. "I've heard the Book Thief is good, what's it about?"

"It's about a girl in Nazi Germany and her life with her foster parents and the boy down the street and the Jew they hide in their basement, and it's narrated by Death." Yoh explained.

"Narrated by Death? Interesting point of view." Hao said.

"Yeah, and the way the story is written, it's almost like poetry, the words have a peculiar rhythm to them, it's hard to explain." Yoh said.

"Sounds like a good story." Hao said.

"It is." Yoh said, nodding his head fervently. "I could lend it to you, once your finished the Giver, in exchange for another movie you like."

"Trying to figure me out through my choices in entertainment?" Hao asked with a laugh. Yoh looked down, grinning sheepishly. "It's not a bad plan." Hao admitted. "You can tell a lot about a man from what he likes."

"What can you tell about me, from my books?" Yoh asked.

"You like stories, adventures, and something that makes you think a little, if what you told me is anything to go by." Hao said. "Do you read much non-fiction?"

"Some. Has to catch my interest right away though." Yoh admitted. "I've read stuff on astronomy and paleontology, and a few things on evolution."

"Paleontology's always interesting, and they're always finding something new." Hao said.

"Have you seen that stuff about feathered dinosaurs?" Yoh asked. Hao nodded. "I've seen some really good drawings of what they might have looked like, and they're really cool looking."

"I've seen them, they are really neat." Hao agreed. He stood up. "I actually have a babysitting job tonight that I need to prepare for."

"Really?" Yoh exclaimed, laughing.

"Yup, babysitting Samuel tonight for Ferd and Helene." Hao said. "Should be interesting."

"You'll have to tell me how it goes." Yoh chuckled.


	9. Chapter 9

Star: I own nothing!

Hao was greeted at Ferdinand and Helene's house by Helene. It was a lovely little home, but must have cost them a pretty penny. It had a large backyard, and was detached from the houses around it. What Hao could see of the main floor was open concept, with stainless steel appliances in the kitchen, but well-worn furniture in the living room, which also had a playpen and was currently littered with toys all over the ground.

"I'd apologize for the mess, but that's the joy of having a little one around the house." Helene said with a shrug. Hao just chuckled. "He's eaten his dinner, but he can have a snack if he wants it, there's some raspberries in the fridge for him. He goes to bed at eight, and usually goes down without a fuss so you shouldn't have problems there. We should be home no later than midnight, and we left you a number to call if there's any trouble along with some other instructions if you need them."

"No need to talk his ear off, Helene." Ferdinand said, coming in with Samuel up on his shoulders. "I'm sure he knows what he's doing." He lifted Samuel off his shoulders and kissed his head. "Now, you be good for Hao."

"O?" Samuel asked, sticking a thumb in his mouth.

"Hao." Ferdinand enunciated.

"Ow!" Samuel squealed delightedly, kicking his hooves happily.

"Alright, Ow." Ferdinand said with a chuckle. He handed Samuel over to Hao. "He's talking lots now, and he moves quick. He likes to play chase, so prepare to be worn out."

"We'll do fine." Hao said, adjusting Samuel on his hip. Helene gave Samuel a kiss as well and then Ferdinand activated his charm, turning him into a very tall, broad, dark-skinned man. They waved goodbye and then were out the door.

Samuel squirmed in Hao's grip and Hao set him down on the ground. "Ow!" He bleated happily. "'Ase me!" His meaning became clear when he began to run around the house. Hao chased after him, at times going on all fours to pretend he was a tiger trying to eat Samuel. The little tyke liked that a lot.

There was only one small hiccup in the evening when Samuel suddenly just sat down and started wailing for his parents. Hao let him cry for a few minutes though, and when he was starting to wind down, scooped him up and sat him down in his lap.

"Mama and Daddy went out for a little while." He explained to the sniffling toddler. "But they are coming back."

"Wan' mama." Samuel said, bottom lip quivering ominously.

"Mama and daddy think you're a big boy to be left home with someone else. Are you a big boy?" Samuel nodded his head. "How about I tell mama when she gets home to make sure she comes and gives you a cuddle?" Hao asked. "And right now we can have some raspberries for some snacks."

"'Nack!" Samuel crowed delightedly, clapping his hands together. In the way of little ones his meltdown was completely forgotten and he was cheerful for the rest of the night. He was drooping by the time Hao took him up to bed, resting his head on Hao's shoulder and wrapping his arms around Hao's neck.

"Night, Samuel."

"Nigh' Ow." Samuel replied sleepily, yawning. Hao turned on his little music box, which played My Favorite Things, and then left the room. He had a few hours to himself and decided to try out Ferdinand's gaming system, finding that Super Mario Bros was a surprisingly engaging game. He found himself thinking when Ferdinand and Helene came home that he might have to get a system of his own.

"Thank you for coming." Helene said happily. "Do you need a ride home, it's awfully late."

"No, I can handle myself." Hao said. She pressed a few bills into his hands. "I don't need-"

Don't be silly." Helene said, waving him off. "We know this isn't the ideal Sunday night for you."

"No, but it was fun." Hao said. "Oh, I told Samuel you'd come and say goodnight to him when you came back."

"Thank you again, Hao." Ferdinand said.

"Any time." Hao said genuinely.

%&%&%&%

The first thing Hao noticed when Yoh sat down for their weekly talk was the bright bruise across his cheek. Yoh saw him looking and stared down at his cup, a flush creeping up his neck. "It's not as bad as it looks." He mumbled.

"You shouldn't look that way at all." Hao said, trying not to sound like a mother hen. Yoh wouldn't look at him. "What was the reason this time?"

"She was giving me a list of things to get from the grocery store and my mind wandered a bit." Yoh said. "She gave me a slap to snap me back to reality. I don't think she meant to do it quite so hard though."

"Of course not." Hao said irritably. "Now people can look at you and wonder if something's wrong, she doesn't want that."

"She doesn't want to hurt me." Yoh said quietly, his shoulders hunching. "She cares about me."

"You need to listen to yourself and then think of all the women who have ever said similar things about their significant others." Hao said.

"I don't see why you care." Yoh snapped. "It's not as though you can claim innocence when it comes to hurting me." Hao stared at him, stunned into silence for a moment. For once Yoh didn't back down, or try to apologize. He felt that was a bit of a step forward.

"You're right." He said finally. "I would go as far to say that I have hurt you the worst." Yoh huffed and crossed his arms. "I am sorry for what I have done, and I will make no excuses, because there are none. I am not looking for forgiveness from anyone, I am simply looking for ways to atone for what I've done."

"And so you looking out for me is part of that?" Yoh demanded, sounding annoyed.

"Me looking out for you is because somewhere along the line I figured out I actually cared about you." Hao said carefully. Yoh scoffed. "You underestimate the effect you have on people. It's not hard for people to love you, you know?"

"Except, according to you, Anna." Yoh said bitterly.

"I think Anna does care about you, being abusive and having feelings about that person are not mutually exclusive." Hao said. "You are struck for being yourself, for something as simple as having a daydream. You really don't see anything wrong with that?"

"I don't want to talk about this anymore." Yoh mumbled, wrapping his arms around his middle. He looked like a small child with a stomach ache.

"Okay." Hao conceded gently. "Do you want to hear about my babysitting job?"

"Do I?" Yoh's face lit up and Hao suppressed a sigh of relief.

"I spent about an hour playing chase me with a baby Minotaur, it was quite amusing. He especially enjoyed when I pretended to be a tiger." Hao chuckled.

"Awww, the big bad Hao Asakura playing pretend." Yoh cooed mockingly. "Bet I'd ruin your reputation if that got out." He put his face in his hands. "I don't know why I said that, that was way too rude."

"My response to that is simply what reputation?" Hao shrugged. "I've always been a bit of a dork, my followers always knew that. I'm like a cat that way."

"What do you mean?" Yoh asked.

"I act all suave and aloof, but as soon as someone brings out a laser pointer, I devolve into a complete idiot… the laser pointer is metaphorically speaking." Hao said. Yoh burst out laughing at that.

"I just had the image of you running into a wall after chasing a little red dot." He said, trying to get his giggles under control.

"I have run into walls before, while not paying attention to where I am going." Hao admitted.

"Oh good, I'm not the only one who has that problem." Yoh said. "So you played tiger for a baby Minotaur, anything else?"

"I discovered video games." Hao said. Yoh blinked at him a couple times. "Super Mario Bros is surprisingly frustrating at times."

"You should try the Rainbow Road race on Mario Kart." Yoh replied. "You may wind up destroying the game though."

"That bad, huh?" Hao said with a chuckle.

"I've got one you might like, Legend of Zelda, Phantom Hourglass, it's got riddles and puzzles as well as fighting and stuff." Yoh said. "You should look out for it."

"I will." Hao stood up to go. "Yoh?"

"Yeah?" Yoh looked at him suspiciously.

"Just… think about what I said, okay?" Hao said awkwardly. "You don't deserve to be hit."


	10. Chapter 10

Star: I own nothing!

Yoh took a look at himself in the mirror, turning his head to the side to get a better look at the bruising on his face. He winced as he touched it; it was still sore after a couple days. This was the first time since he'd spoken with Hao that he was really having a look at it. He knew he was avoiding the issue, but it had just been easier. His nightmares had returned with a vengeance though, and he knew it had to do with his conflicted emotional state, so he needed to face it.

It was true Anna had a tendency to use her fists rather than her words when something annoyed her, which, truthfully, happened a lot. It was also true that if she felt what Yoh had done was stupid enough that she'd assign him extra work, make him do training exercises until he felt like throwing up or passing out, or rationing his food, so that he went to bed hungry.

Yoh sighed; when he laid it out like that, it really did sound like he was being abused. He'd been raised to be obedient though, to his grandfather, and now his fiancée, and so he'd allowed it, believing that it was normal. If he'd been more assertive from the beginning, maybe Anna wouldn't feel so comfortable hitting him. Then again, she did it with everyone at any moment she could, so maybe not.

"I don't suppose you have any thoughts on what Hao said today?" Yoh asked Amidamaru morosely. His friend hesitated, and then sighed.

"I've long felt that Anna is not healthy for you." Amidamaru said carefully. "But at the risk of being removed as your guardian, I kept my peace."

"I wouldn't have rejected you." Yoh said, a touch hurt that Amidamaru would think that of him.

"You wouldn't have." Amidamaru said pointedly. "Anna…"

"You think she'd go that far?" Yoh asked, feeling ill at the thought.

"Anna sees you as her path to success, anything that might get in the way of that is something she doesn't want around." Amidamaru said. "She would have convinced you it was for the best, or sent me on in secret and let you draw your own conclusions from my absence."

"So you stayed quiet." Yoh said.

"I tried to direct her attention away from you, when I could." Amidamaru said.

"What can I do, Amidamaru?" Yoh asked quietly. "Grandfather picked her for me, he won't help me, and where could I run to that she wouldn't be able to find me?"

"I don't know." Amidamaru admitted miserably. "Perhaps you can try and change her behaviour."

"I don't know if that will work." Yoh said, thinking about how Anna might react to him trying to stand up for himself. He shuddered. "In fact I think that would make things worse."

"You are of age in a couple of years." Amidamaru pointed out. "You would no longer be beholden to your grandfather and could leave."

"That doesn't do me much good if I can be found." Yoh pointed out.

"As much as I loathe to say it, Hao may be of assistance there. He is not found if he does not wish to be found, after all." Amidamaru said.

"Yeah." Yoh sighed. "I guess I'll talk about with him next time we see him." He left the bathroom, heading for his bed. For once he wasn't looking forward to sleep, he knew that the nightmares would just return.

%&%&%&%

Hao paced his flat, his skin crawling with agitation. Kia had stopped him on the way out of the shop today, telling him that he should be in the cemetery tonight at the midnight hour. When he tried to figure out why she just shook her head helplessly. Hao knew her premonitions were cloudy, mere hints of things to come.

The only thing he could think of that might require him to be at the cemetery was Yoh. Was Yoh going to be hurt? Was someone going to try to kill him? Had someone found out about his meetings with Yoh? Each possibility frightened Hao, because he found he could only come up with scenarios in which Yoh was getting hurt.

Finally, close to midnight he began to walk to the cemetery. He didn't want to just teleport there, the walk gave him a chance to try and calm his jangled nerves. It didn't work, but at the very least he wasn't dropping in on whatever was happening; seeing someone appear from nowhere often made people react violently.

Almost as soon as he set foot in the cemetery he knew something was wrong. The spirits were all whispering, looking worried. Up on the hill Hao could see a lone figure, pacing back and forth, movements jerky and sudden.

He walked up the hill and Amidamaru gave him a hard look. There was fear in his gaze too, though not for Hao. Hao saw what made Amidamaru so agitated. Yoh was pacing around in circles, his eyes wild and skin soaked with sweat. He was muttering to himself, his tone sounding angry to Hao's ears.

"Yoh." Hao said softly. Yoh turned to him and Hao nearly flinched back at the fury in his eyes.

"You want to know something Hao?" Yoh demanded. "Almost every bad thing that I've had to endure is because of you." He spat. Hao stayed silent, not sure what to say to that. "I wouldn't be engaged to Anna if not for the fact that they needed someone to keep me in line and make sure I did what needed to be done. And what needed to be done, do you ask? Killing you of course. Somehow, since I am apparently your other half, I have to be the one to kill you! No matter what I want no, if I don't do it then I must be on your side and should be killed."

"They told you this?" Hao asked, his heart squeezing painfully.

"They don't have to." Yoh snarled. "They don't realize how much I watch and listen, I'm just an idiot to all of them. And then there was you." Hao swallowed, waiting for him to continue. "Pushing me, testing me, going after the people I care about and driving others to try and kill me because of my connection to you. And then came the most horrible thing you did. Do you still want to know what I have nightmares about?"

"Tell me." Hao said softly.

"I dream about our last battle, more specifically, I dream about you taking my soul." Yoh growled. Hao flinched at the mention of it. That explained why Yoh reacted so badly to his touch. "I dream about the agony of being torn away from my own body, do you know what that's like?" Hao shook his head mutely. "The worst pain I've ever been in, and it just felt wrong, like being violated in the worst way possible. But that wasn't even the worst part."

"Yoh…" Amidamaru said pleadingly.

"He needs to get this out." Hao said, quieting the samurai spirit. Amidamaru just gave him an agonized look.

"The worst part was when you started to absorb me into myself." Tears were falling down Yoh's cheeks now. "I could feel myself fading, my memories, my emotions, I could feel them just fading away leaving nothing but an empty, howling void, and no matter how much I fought I couldn't stop it, no matter how much I screamed. Could you hear me screaming?" Hao shook his head. "I dream about that void, that emptiness, I'm terrified to sleep because the nothingness of sleep reminds me of that."

"I didn't know." Hao said, swallowing past a lump in his throat. Yoh laughed humourlessly at him.

"I think the worst part is I can't even bring myself to hate you." He said helplessly. "I couldn't even bring myself to think that it was okay to kill you. Not even after everything you'd done to me."

"I'm sorry." Hao said. Yoh glared at him through tear-filled eyes. Hao stepped closer to Yoh and Yoh punched him in the stomach. Hao wavered, but didn't fight back. "I'm sorry." Yoh struck him again, shoving him in the chest. Hao wrapped his arms around his brother, letting him pummel at him while sobbing incoherently. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry." He whispered over again, crying with his brother.

Yoh stopped fighting, slumping exhausted against Hao and sobbing softly. Hao sat down, taking Yoh with him. Yoh was limp in his arms, body shaking with the force of his sobs and Hao could feel his tears soaking his shirt. Hao held onto his brother, murmuring softly to him and stroking his back. There wasn't much else he could do.

Slowly Yoh stopped shaking and crying and his breathing evened out. Hao shifted slightly so that his back was resting against a tree. He stroked Yoh's hair, maneuvering him a little so that Yoh's head rested on his chest, and wiped the tears from his face.

"Hopefully he'll sleep a little easier now." Hao said to Amidamaru.

"How was this helpful to him?" Amidamaru asked.

"He's been holding in his emotions, not allowing himself to feel that anger. That's not good for him." Hao said. "I know that better than anyone. The anger would have eaten away at him, and he wouldn't have been able to heal. Now, he should be able to heal."


	11. Chapter 11

Star: I own nothing!

Yoh floated on the edge of consciousness, feeling warm and safe and well-rested. He shifted a little and burrowed his face into whatever he was lying on. He heard someone sigh above him and a hand rubbed his back. He rested comfortably against whoever he was lying against, coming awake slowly. Suddenly he remembered what had happened the night before, and sat up with a gasp.

Hao blinked at him sleepily and gave him a tentative smile. "Good morning." He said. "Did you sleep okay?"

"Yeah." Yoh said, feeling dazed. "Better than I have been. What time is it?"

"I'm not sure." Hao answered. "The sun's not quite up yet though."

"You're not going to ask about last night?" Yoh asked softly.

"I'm not going to push you into talking about something you don't want to." Hao replied gently.

"How did you know I was going to be here?" Yoh asked.

"Kia said I needed to be here." Hao replied. "That's all she could tell me, but I figured it had to be about you." Hao hesitated a moment, looking sad. "I'm so sorry Yoh, I didn't know what I was doing to you."

"Would you still have done it if you'd known?" Yoh asked quietly, looking into his eyes. Hao opened his mouth, hesitated, closed it again and looked down.

"I don't know." He admitted. "That scares me, do you know that? I don't know if I would have caused you that pain if I'd known about it, the way I was back then."

"And what way was that?" Yoh asked.

"I didn't think of you as really a person." Hao said slowly, wincing. "You were an extension of myself, a source of power for me to take when I needed it. I'm not proud of that."

"Easier to hurt someone if you don't think of them as people." Yoh said dully. "That's why most of my friends think that I shouldn't have regretted killing you. At least, they think I killed you." He said guiltily.

"I left you no choice." Hao said gently. "Had you not fought me, I would have destroyed billions of lives, and for what? To satisfy my own anger, that's all it truly was."

"So it wasn't about the way humans were destroying the earth?" Yoh questioned.

"It was a good excuse, and one that I believed myself, but that's all it was in the end." Hao said. "Along with a sense of superiority because of my powers."

"Like Magneto in the X-Men." Yoh murmured.

"Precisely." Hao said, startling him by agreeing. "I've seen such good things from people in the last little while, it makes me ashamed of myself for the way I've acted, especially towards my own brother."

"If you'd just tell me what happened to you, maybe this would be easier." Yoh said irritably. Hao smiled slightly at him.

"I'm not sure it would." He replied. His smile faded as he looked up at the rising sun. "But, you should go, before someone notices you're not around." Yoh looked at his watch and grimaced; it was almost time for him to start breakfast.

"I really should." He sighed, standing up. "Thanks, for last night."

"No problem." Hao said, smiling slightly again. There was a touch of anxiety behind his smile though.

"I'll see you on Sunday." Yoh said. Hao's smile widened in relief.

"I'll see you Sunday." He agreed. Yoh turned and walked down the hill through the cemetery. Amidamaru materialized beside him, frowning slightly.

"Did I scare you last night?" Yoh asked.

"Some." Amidamaru admitted. "It worried me that you seemed deaf to my voice." He said. "I am glad Hao came."

"You are?" Yoh said with some surprise. Amidamaru still did not like that Yoh was meeting with Hao, even after so many weeks.

"His presence at that time allowed you to release the emotions you've been holding back since that last fight." Amidamaru said. "Suppressing yourself is unhealthy, and would have ultimately destroyed you."

"I don't like being angry." Yoh said. "Bad things happen when people are angry."

"Only if they allow that anger to control them. To deny your emotions is to deny your very self, and that can only end badly." Amidamaru said. "Anger does not have to be destructive, if it is expressed in a healthy manner."

"Okay." Yoh said. "Did he hold me like that all night?" He asked, remembering how he'd woken up pretty well draped on top of Hao.

"Yes." Amidamaru said. "I believe he was reluctant to move you too much and deny you the rest you so needed. You did not wake again, nor did you seem to have any nightmares."

"I didn't." Yoh confirmed. "At least none that I can remember. That's good at least."

"It is." Amidamaru agreed happily. "I am beginning to think you are right about Hao, he has changed, truthfully."

"I'm glad you're starting to agree with me." Yoh said amiably.

"Tis my nature to be suspicious, after all I am your guardian." Amidamaru huffed.

"Relax, I was teasing you." Yoh chuckled.

"It is good to hear you laugh with such ease again." Amidamaru said with a smile.

"It feels good, like some weight has lightened on my back." Yoh said. "It's still there, but it's easier to carry somehow."

"I am glad." Amidamaru said. Yoh quietly tiptoed into the inn and glanced at the clock in the kitchen. He grimaced slightly; he would have liked to have had a little time for a shower, but he was already running a little late. Anna would not be pleased if her breakfast was late. At the thought of Anna Yoh's shoulders hunched. He willed himself to relax and went upstairs to change out of his sleeping clothes.

He got started on breakfast, humming to himself a little as he worked. He turned at the sound of footsteps and smiled brightly at Ren. "Good morning." He said cheerily. Ren blinked at him and his eyes narrowed slightly. Whoops, maybe a little too cheerful?

"You're very chipper this morning." Ren commented.

"Well, I slept through the night last night." Yoh said with an easy shrug. Ren's eyes didn't leave his and he shook his head.

"No, it's not just that, you seem…. lighter than you have for months." He mused.

"I think I'm finally getting to the point where I can sort things out." Yoh said. "I think I've started to let go a little bit, do you know what I mean?"

"I do." Ren replied. Yoh knew Ren carried guilt for the things he'd done before he met Yoh and became his friend. They'd talked about it, because Ren knew that Yoh would just listen and not judge him for the things he'd done. Yoh thought that was the reason Ren was so understanding of Yoh's own troubles at the moment.

"It feels good." Yoh said.

"I know." Ren replied. "I'd like to know how you've managed to get to this point all the sudden."

"I don't know." Yoh replied. "Maybe all I needed was time." Ren nodded his head, looking unconvinced.

"This doesn't have anything to do with the thing that you are asking me to trust you on?" He asked, cocking his head at Yoh.

"Maybe." Yoh said, smiling sheepishly. "If it is, don't you think it's a good thing, if it's helping me?"

"Perhaps." Ren said. "I still do not like that you feel you must keep it a secret."

"Hopefully not for too much longer." Yoh said. "It's not that I don't trust you, Ren, it's just… This is something I need for myself right now, and… it's hard to explain, but it's better for me if I do it on my own. Amidamaru's with me though, and you know how he is about protecting me."

"I do." Ren agreed. He looked around as people started moving around upstairs. "I'll let you get your work done, so Anna doesn't chew you out."

"Thanks, Ren."


	12. Chapter 12

Star: I own nothing!

Yoh walked towards the café, humming to himself. He'd only had one nightmare in the past week, and it hadn't even seemed as frightening to him as before. Suddenly he noticed footsteps beside him and looked up, startled.

"Ren!" He exclaimed. "What are you doing?" He asked.

"I've noticed you go somewhere every Sunday, I wanted to know where." Ren said. Yoh grimaced slightly. "Don't tell me, it's about whatever it is you're not telling me?" Ren rolled his eyes.

"Yeah." Yoh admitted.

"Do you want me to leave then?" Ren asked.

"Um, I'm not sure." Yoh admitted. It would be nice to stop keeping this a secret, even if it was only Ren that knew. He figured that Ren would eventually just follow him without asking, and that maybe showing him what was going on would prevent him from doing something rash. "You can come, but you have to promise not to freak out until I can explain, okay?"

"I will reserve judgement, for now." Ren said, his eyes narrowed suspiciously. Yoh sighed and nodded. When he caught sight of Hao a grin stretched across his face. Hao had a stroller with him! Ren stiffened beside him and he gave his friend a reassuring smile.

"It's okay, Ren." He said. Ren glowered at him a little, but kept walking with him. "You seem to have a small child with you." He commented to Hao, looking into the stroller at the messy black-haired toddler with big brown eyes. He was a solid little guy, who grinned up at Yoh innocently.

"Slide!" The toddler declared.

"This is Samuel." Hao said. "His parents asked me to look after him, and I figured you wouldn't mind taking our usual talk to the park."

"I don't mind, do you mind, Ren?" Yoh asked.

"Here or anywhere else is fine, so long as I get answers." Ren replied coolly.

"Right." Yoh said sheepishly.

"Park!" Samuel declared happily as Hao began to wheel him away down the street.

"Yoh…" Ren murmured.

"At the park." Yoh whispered back. "Let's not upset Samuel."

When they got to the park Hao took Samuel out of the stroller and knelt so that they were eye to eye. "You stay in the park, okay? And remember, feet first on the slide, if I see you going head first we're going to leave, okay?" He said sternly.

"Okay, Ow." Samuel said. He looked up at Yoh and Ren. "Who dey?"

"This is Yoh and Ren."

"Oh and En?" Samuel repeated. Hao chuckled and nodded his head. "Okay, play now, you watch!" Samuel said, sprinting towards the playground equipment.

"He's pretty steady on his feet for a two year old." Yoh commented as Hao sat down on the park bench.

"Minotaurs tend to develop gross motor skills fairly young." Hao replied.

"I'm sorry, Minotaur?" Ren interjected.

"Well, half-Minotaur to be accurate." Hao explained. "He's got a charm on him, makes him look and feel human, like all the other supernaturals in the city."

"That makes sense, why are you babysitting?" Ren asked.

"Well, I work in a shop that caters to supernaturals-"

"You work?" Ren interrupted.

"Yes, I needed something to occupy my time." Hao said evenly. "Anyways, Samuel's parents frequent the shop and they asked me one time if I could babysit, and I said yes. It went well, so they asked again." Hao shrugged his shoulders, as if it was the most natural thing in the world for him to be babysitting. They watched Samuel run around the playground equipment for a few minutes.

"So are either of you going to explain to me why you've been meeting? Because I am assuming this has been goin on for a while." Ren said.

"It started on my birthday, you remember I wandered off for a little while." Yoh said. Ren nodded his head. "I found Hao in the cemetery, watching the city go by below him. We talked for a bit and he seemed… off."

"What do you mean, off?" Ren said.

"He's saying I was acting like one sad puppy." Hao said. Yoh chuckled at his wording. "It's true."

"Yeah, well, we went and got something to eat and talked for a little bit." Yoh continued. "And I found myself wanting to keep talking, because he was acting so different."

"Different?" Ren repeated.

"It's hard to explain." Yoh said. "He speaks gentler now, kinder, but there was a certain amount of sadness in him, and I wanted to know what had happened to change him like that."

"And what did?" Ren asked.

"I don't know yet." Yoh said, shooting Hao an annoyed look. Hao just grinned at him. "He won't tell me, says I wouldn't believe him."

"So what do you talk about then?" Ren asked.

"Hao mostly talks about who he sees in the shop and stories from working." Yoh said. "We also talk about the movies and books we like. I've managed to talk about some of my issues with him, and I'm starting to be able to move past them." He admitted.

"Hao helped you with that?" Ren demanded, incredulous.

"Well, it was mostly because of him that I've been having troubles, so talking it out, even just being around him has helped a lot."

"One of Yoh's biggest problems I found was that he was holding himself back from feeling certain emotions, like anger. I tried to give him opportunities to let that anger through, let him work through his emotions rather than holding them back." Hao said. "You make your soul sick by doing that."

"Why would you be helping him?" Ren asked. "What do you care?"

"I care because he is my brother, and I have hurt him in ways that no one should ever be." Hao said softly. "As to why I suddenly care, that's a story best saved for another day."

"I don't think I believe you." Ren said, glaring at Hao.

"I didn't expect you to." Hao said mildly. "I'm glad, that means you're looking out for Yoh's safety."

"If I may." Amidamaru interjected. "I too was wary of Hao when he and Yoh were meeting, but I have come to the conclusion that Hao is not a threat to Yoh."

"And you'd want to be very sure of that, I know." Ren grudgingly admitted. The three of them watched as Samuel dug in the sand around the playground. Yoh smiled at the contented look on Hao's face as he watched the little guy. He hated to ruin the mood, but he needed to ask before he chickened out.

"Hao, if I were to leave home, find somewhere else to live, but not want specific people finding me, how would I go about doing that?" He asked.

"You're talking about Anna, aren't you?" Ren guessed. Yoh flinched slightly. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Hao reach out a hand towards him, but then retract it almost immediately.

"Her, and my family." Yoh admitted. "I know my grandfather would drag me back to be married."

"I may have to speak to Kia, her spells for concealment are far more complex than mine and she may have a better idea of how to tailor wards to your needs. I'm assuming you'd want friends to be able to find you?" Hao asked.

"Well, yes." Yoh said, as though it should be obvious. He didn't apologize for his rudeness, Hao didn't care.

"I definitely would have to speak with Kia then." Hao said with a sigh. "My wards make it impossible for anyone to find me, no matter if they are friend or foe. I have to physically bring people into the area warded, otherwise they cannot enter. I'll speak to her. How soon do you need the wards?"

"I don't know yet." Yoh admitted. "I want to have everything sorted out before I go. Have a place to go, have it warded, the people I care about know I'm going to be safe, that sort of thing."

"Money?" Hao asked.

"I have a trust account. I checked it, since I'm sixteen no one can make changes to it but me anymore." Yoh shrugged. "I will have to look for a job though."

"Kia may be able to help with that as well." Hao said.

"Who is this Kia?" Ren asked.

"Have you ever heard of a being referred as the Ageless?" Hao asked.

"Of course, pretty well everyone knows the legends." Ren sniffed.

"They're not legends. My friend Kia is the Ageless, I've met her in all of my lives." Hao said. "She hasn't been happy with me for a while, but our relationship is on the mend."

"The legends are true?" Ren asked. "That's insane!"

"She's lived a long time." Hao said. "Long enough that she calls me youngling."

"I'll bet that's a bit of a blow to your ego." Ren mumbled.

"I'm carting around a two year old in a stroller, I think I've successfully destroyed my ego." Hao said with a shrug. "He also likes to play horsey."

"I'm having trouble imagining that." Ren admitted, staring at Hao. Hao smiled at him, softly, contentedly. "You do seem different." He added, reluctantly.

"See?" Yoh said happily. "Nothing to worry about."

"There's always something to worry about." Hao said benignly. "But in this case, I am not one of those things."

"According to you." Ren pointed out. "I'm not so certain of that."

"I won't ask you to trust me, I won't offend you like that." Hao said evenly. "I will ask you to trust Yoh, however, and listen to him."

"You're going to keep meeting like this, aren't you?" Ren asked of Yoh.

"It's helping me." Yoh said. "And it's nice, we have a nice time together. I'd miss that."

"You'd rather I didn't tag along though." Ren guessed.

"Well, it's been sort of our thing." Yoh said awkwardly. "I don't really want to give that up." Ren sighed, exasperated

"You know, one of these days I'm going to figure out just what goes on in that head of yours." He said.

"Hmm, good luck." Hao said amiably. "Should go though, Samuel's going to need a nap."

"Okay, see you next week Hao." Yoh said. Hao nodded his head and went to collect Samuel. Yoh looked at Ren who shook his head, staring as Hao bundled up the little boy, giving him a kiss on the head.


	13. Chapter 13

Star: I own nothing!

Yoh watched Cosmos, listening with fascination as he learned about how people learned what the stars are made of. "Is this something he introduced you to?" Ren asked, coming to sit down beside him.

"Yeah, it is actually." Yoh said. "He thinks I'm a lot more intelligent than I let on."

"Well, I've known that for ages." Ren said with a sniff. "If I hadn't seen him today I'd say he was laying it on thick."

"I would have too." Yoh admitted. "But after the last several weeks, it comes natural to hear him say those things to me."

"So you've been doing this for a while, meeting with him." Ren said. "What exactly convinced you that he had changed?"

"When I met him the first time on my birthday, he was watching the city go by, and told me he was enjoying the view." Yoh said. "That was the first indication that something had changed. And then he told me that he'd been alone for most of his life and said some confusing things about wondering how things would have turned out if different choices had been made. He just seemed so… lost, and I wanted to understand."

"Lost? Lost how?" Ren asked.

"Like he didn't know what he was supposed to do anymore, like he wasn't sure who he was supposed to be anymore." Yoh said. "I think that talking to me is as much him trying to sort himself out as me trying to sort myself out. I just wish he'd tell me why."

"You do seem frustrated." Ren agreed. "So, how'd you have your breakthrough?"

"I had a nightmare, and went out to the cemetery, try to calm myself down, you know?" Yoh asked. Ren nodded in understanding. "It wasn't working, I was just getting more and more worked up, and then Hao showed up."

"How'd he know you'd be there?" Ren asked, looking suspicious again.

"Kia told him he needed to be there, didn't know why, just one of her feelings." Yoh explained. "According to Hao, her clairvoyance is mostly being able to sense 'disturbances in the Force' and so she's not actually able to see what's coming."

"That must be irritating." Ren commented.

"I'd think so too." Yoh agreed. "Anyways, he was there, and I was still so worked up that I started screaming at him, letting him know exactly how he'd made me feel, and what he'd done to me when he absorbed my soul. I punched him a few times and then cried on him and then fell asleep. Since then my nightmares have almost completely gone away, and I am starting to truly feel at peace again." Yoh shrugged. "I guess I just needed to get it out of my system."

"I could have told you that." Ren sniffed.

"Yes, because you're so good at admitting to your emotions." Yoh teased.

"I'm learning, aren't I?" Ren replied haughtily. "That movie you were watching the other day, the one with the lion, that was from him wasn't it?"

"Secondhand lions? Yeah, that was him." Yoh said. "We've been exchanging books and movies that we enjoy and talking about them."

"You can learn a lot about a person from what he enjoys." Ren mused.

"Yup." Yoh said cheerfully.

"So what do you know about Hao now?" Ren asked.

"He likes happy endings." Yoh said thoughtfully. "Which is why he doesn't much like horror movies, or Romeo and Juliet. He seems to react strongly to stories about orphans, like Harry Potter, so I'm wondering if he'd lost his parents in his first life. He is very intellectual, in that he prefers to watch movies that are thought-provoking, but he also likes superhero movies."

"Which suggests that he does have an optimistic spirit, since superhero movies are mostly about the triumph of good over evil." Ren said.

"He told me he wanted to hate Tony Stark in the Iron Man movies, but that he was drawn into the complex personality of him." Yoh said. "He told me that Tony is subtle, he shows the world one face, so that he can't be hurt, and his heart he keeps protected at all costs."

"I wonder if he was talking about himself as well." Ren said.

"I'll bet he was. He likes to drop hints about himself after all." Yoh said. "And he delights in kids movies and video games."

"Really? Video games?" Ren said incredulously.

"Yeah, apparently he tried them out when he was babysitting Samuel the one time and got hooked. He's been playing Mario Kart and Super Mario and Legend of Zelda ever since." Yoh laughed.

"Huh, now there's an interesting mental image." Ren muttered. "So he has a playful side too."

"Yeah, and a newfound appreciation for things he thought were stupid before." Yoh said.

"That does stick out." Ren agreed. "Although he's not making much of an effort to be around normal humans, working around supernaturals, is he?"

"Not true." Yoh replied. "You get lots of humans in the shop apparently, and Samuel's mother is human. I think he knows it's not a good idea to dive headlong into modern society either."

"No, I think that would be too much of a shock for him, and might make him go back to his old patterns." Ren said with a nod. "Wish I'd had a camera. The mighty Hao Asakura pushing a stroller."

"I know." Yoh said with a laugh. "Funny thing is though, it looked so natural for him to have a kid with him."

"Maybe because of Opacho." Ren offered.

"Hmm." Yoh thought for a moment. "Do we know what happened to Opacho?"

"She got adopted." Ren said. "My family pulled some strings." He explained at Yoh's questioning look. "She was just a little girl. Thought she ought to have a chance at a normal life."

"That's sweet of you, Ren." Yoh said, smiling.

"Yeah, well…" Ren trailed off, embarrassed that he had been caught doing something nice. He didn't much like people seeing that he actually had a pretty soft heart. "Who is this person talking?" He asked, changing the subject.

"Neil Degrasse Tyson, he's a physicist." Yoh replied.

"He's got a nice voice to listen to." Ren commented.

"Yup." Yoh agreed. "A handsome voice."

"You know, you say things like that a lot, you've called things I do cute, you say other guys are cute, but you also call girls cute and hot." Ren said. "What gives?"

"I don't know, I just think people are good looking, is that so unusual?" Yoh shrugged.

"Not unusual, but not something everyone does." Ren said. "Would you ever consider taking a guy out on a date?"

"Maybe." Yoh said. "But I like girls too."

"It's called bisexuality, Yoh, it exists." Ren said with a faint laugh. "Once you get out of here, you should try dating, see what you actually do like."

"If I get out of here." Yoh said carefully. "Not so loud Ren, you know she's got the house spirits working for her."

"Fine, fine." Ren sighed. "I can help finance your place."

"I can't ask you to do that." Yoh protested.

"Yoh, how many times have you saved my ass?" Ren asked.

"A couple." Yoh said casually.

"Okay, then let me be the one to help you out, just this once." Ren said. He had that mulish look on his face that Yoh knew so well, so he simply sighed.

"You're going to be stubborn about it, so I'll say yes."


End file.
